


Zurich

by Kathadrian



Category: Cabin Pressure
Genre: Canon Compliant, Fluff and Angst, Gen, spoilers for s04
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-14
Updated: 2013-02-14
Packaged: 2017-11-29 07:12:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,905
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/684261
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kathadrian/pseuds/Kathadrian
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>My take on what will probably be the last episode of Cabin Pressure. Martin got offered a job, but taking it would mean leaving MJN Air, and that's something he's not sure he's entirely ready for.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Zurich

**Author's Note:**

> Okay this is simply my way of dealing with the feels I got from Yverdon-les-bains. I do not own Cabin Pressure, I do not make any money from this. I just hope this will make you feel a little bit better as well.
> 
> Obviously, if there is only one episode left, it will be a city starting with Z and I can't see how it will be anything other than Zurich.
> 
> This was mostly unbeta'd, any remaining mistakes are mine. If you do spot some, feel free to let me know ;)
> 
> I do want to thank my sister Lokiddles though, for reading this for me and helping me with the ending :)

Martin had always been a little paranoid by nature; it was part of his instincts by now to always assume the worst of every situation and everyone involved in it. He had learned at a young age that being prepared was yet the best way to avoid trouble and his senses were tingling right now. He knew that the atmosphere at MJN was always going to be a little tense after his interview, but not to such an extent. He felt a little queasy with it.

 

“Post take-off checks complete,” he breathed out in the deafening silence of the flight deck.

 

He saw Douglas nod in the corner of his eye but the first officer remained silent. Somehow, he felt a tiny bit grateful for it; he did not feel like talking and knew that he had to think things through first. He just wished he knew how. Not even the feeling of GERT-I taking flight was enough to make him feel better. He had spent the last two weeks with a knot in his stomach, anxiously waiting for the moment when Douglas would eventually figure it out.

 

Martin had come to respect his opinion, to listen when he offered advice to the point where he was practically dependant on it. Douglas always had an answer, always knew what was best and Martin felt a bit lost now that he had to make this decision on his own. He had never needed his first officer’s help more than he did right now, and yet this was the only choice Douglas couldn’t possibly help him make.

 

“I take it you haven’t heard from them yet?”

 

Martin started, surprised to hear Douglas’ voice at last. He swallowed hard and turned to his first officer, his lips refusing to even attempt a smile.

 

“No,” he said. “No, I haven’t. I guess they’re, er, still deliberating, you know? They just don’t want to make a hasty decision. It’s understandable, right?”

 

“Of course. It’s a very serious matter.”

 

“It is,” Martin breathed out, looking out ahead again.

 

He tightened his grip on the controls and cleared his throat. He missed their word games, their easy banter and the whole silliness of their usual flights. If you’d asked him what annoyed him the most at MJN a month ago, Martin would have probably said that it was the lack of professionalism the crew displayed on a daily basis. He’d never thought he’d come to miss it so much.

 

Flying was fun in and of itself and it always would be, no matter where he flew and who he traveled with. At least, he had always thought so. Now he wasn’t so sure.

 

He was confused and worst of all: he felt guilty. He felt as if he was betraying his friends by even considering taking the job, which was insane. He had no reason to feel guilty, it was perfectly normal to be looking for something more, to want to be able to afford stuff like new clothes and a decent meal now and again. He could even rent a proper apartment. And he had every right to quit this job; he deserved to be paid for what he did. He was a proper, professional pilot. That’s all he’d ever wanted to be.

 

He just wished he could be a proper pilot at MJN too.

 

Martin had considered calling his mum but had quickly decided against it. His mother wouldn’t understand; it’s not like he could tell her that Carolyn wasn’t paying him. He could almost imagine the pity in her eyes and Simon’s mocking smile. No, that was definitely not an option.

 

“Hey guys!”

 

Martin jumped up for the second time in the span of thirty minutes. He had been so focused on his own thoughts that he hadn’t noticed the cabin door opening and Arthur coming in.

 

“Arthur,” Douglas greeted. “What fine delicacy are we being treated to today?”

 

“I don’t know. Is it lunch time yet?”

 

“I think twelve thirty is indeed lunch time, by anyone’s standards.”

 

“Oh, right,” Arthur said. “I’ll get started on that!”

 

But Arthur didn’t move at all, in fact he was still staring at the back of Martin’s head. Martin felt it quite clearly – it’s not like Arthur was a master in the art of subtlety – but refused to turn around. He pretended to focus on their traffic plan.

 

“Thank you, Arthur,” he simply said. “We’re both getting a bit hungry actually so if you could hurry.”

 

“Sure thing, Skip!”

 

Douglas had barely enough time to reflect on how wrong Arthur looked with a frown on his face before the steward was gone. He quietly turned back and firmly took the controls in hand again. Whichever way this situation was going to be resolved, he couldn’t just stand by and do nothing. He had to talk to Carolyn.

 

***

 

“Did you hear anything from him?”

 

“He hasn’t said anything,” Douglas shrugged. “I don’t think he’s heard from them either.”

 

Carolyn frowned a little harder – a frown being her usual facial expression. She clearly didn’t appreciate the situation any more than he did, something for which Douglas felt reluctantly grateful. It was nice having her on his side for once, though he would never admit it.

 

“Do you think it would help if I asked Herc to talk to them?”

 

“I doubt there’s anything this man can’t do,” Douglas said, his voice drenching in sarcasm.

 

Carolyn didn’t even dignify his comment with an answer.

“I don’t like it, Douglas.”

 

“I had assumed as much from the lovely frown you’ve been sporting these last few days.”

 

“This isn’t the time,” she snapped.

 

“I might not get many more chances to annoy you, Carolyn. You could at least let me enjoy it.”

 

“So you think he’ll get it?”

 

“Of course!” Douglas immediately answered. “Why wouldn’t he? He’s qualified and clearly driven. He’d rather sell his soul than break procedure, any firm would be lucky to have him.”

 

“I know that,” Carolyn said. “At least, I think I do. I just don’t understand how you can be so damn calm about this!”

 

“There’s nothing to do,” Douglas argued. “Our humble selves are powerless in this matter. I just accepted it sooner than you did.”

 

“I have accepted it, Douglas. That’s exactly the reason I’m nervous.”

 

“Well, don’t be.”

 

“Oh, Douglas, what a marvelous piece of advice. I hadn’t considered that option before.”

 

“Do as you will,” Douglas said with a shrug. “It’s not our issue.”

 

“Cut the act, Douglas.”

 

That, at least, got the first officer’s attention.

 

“You’re at least as worried as I am, if not more. You just hide it better.”

 

“Of course I am, Martin’s interview has a direct impact on all our lives. It doesn’t mean that we can’t at least pretend like everything’s normal for now.”

 

“Yes, well, it’s just harder than I thought it would be.”

 

Douglas hummed in agreement just as Arthur pushed the door to Carolyn’s office open.

 

“What are you guys doing in here? I’ve been looking for you for ages!”

 

“And yet you found us. We were so cleverly hidden too!”

 

Carolyn glared at him but Douglas, like he did most things, simply ignored it.

 

“What are you talking about?” Arthur asked, taking a seat next to them. “Are you talking about _Martin_?”

 

“Now how did you come to that conclusion, Arthur?”

 

“Well, you see, I noticed that Skipper wasn’t here. Then I thought: why would you hide from us if you weren’t talking about at least one of us? And I don’t think I’ve done anything wrong today so…”

 

“How cunning of you, you saw right through our plan!”

 

“Douglas,” Carolyn chided before lowering her voice. “We were talking about Martin. We’re just wondering why he hasn’t heard from Swiss Air yet.”

 

“Oh, but he has!” Arthur cheerfully announced, getting the both of them to turn to him, eyes wide.

 

“What?”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“Well,” Arthur said, cowering under their gaze. “You know when we went to pick him up after the interview? Well they’d already told him!”

 

Douglas pinched the bridge of his nose as Carolyn nearly lost her temper.

 

“Told him what?”

 

“That he’d got the job! Well, at least I think he did, he wasn’t too clear about that.”

 

“For the love of…” Douglas sighed. “What did he say exactly? Did he say the words _‘I got the job’_?

 

“I think so,” Arthur mused. “Although, actually, now that I think about it, er, I’m not sure I should have told you that. It was all so weird I’m not sure I understood properly.”

 

“Imagine that,” Douglas deadpanned before turning towards Carolyn. “Did you know about this?”

 

“Of course not! Why would Martin hide this?”

 

“Why hasn’t he taken the job yet?”

 

Arthur cleared his throat, clearly starting to panic. “Er, I don’t know! I don’t _know_! He didn’t tell me anything!”

 

“Well, clearly he told you _something_ , Arthur.”

 

“Well, yeah, he told me that he’d got the job and I was really happy for him, and sad too but mostly really happy! But then he told you guys that they would let him know and now I’m all confused!”

 

Douglas turned back to Carolyn with what must have been a confused expression as well – he couldn’t tell, this was probably a first for him. Carolyn got herself together quickly enough, giving her son a calm, soothing sort of smile.

 

“He hasn’t heard from them yet, but I’m sure it’ll come soon enough now.”

 

“Oh, so he really didn’t get an answer?”

 

“No, he didn’t,” Douglas confirmed.

 

“Okay, well, I’m sure he’ll get in. He’s brilliant!”

 

“Of course he is.”

 

Douglas didn’t dare move an inch as Arthur made his way out of the office. When the door finally closed in his wake, he slowly turned to Carolyn.

 

“Well, damn.”

 

“I know.”

 

***

 

Douglas wasn’t sure what to think – which was another first. He had considered the possibility that Martin had already made his decision and simply hadn’t told them, but it was too hard to believe. For one thing, Martin wouldn’t be able to lie for so long – at least, he had never thought so – and for the other, Douglas couldn’t even consider the fact that Martin could have made this decision without consulting _him_.

 

Of course he was biased on the matter but still, he had expected Martin to talk to him about it. No, the only real possibility was that Martin was still unsure what to do, something Douglas could both understand and find utterly stupid. He just needed to talk to him about all this, get an answer out of him, force it if he had to – and knowing Martin, he would probably have to.

 

“All right there, Martin?”

 

“I’m fine,” he breathed out, shaking himself a little. “I’m absolutely fine.”

 

Douglas nodded next to him and Martin feared he might start talking again. It had been about a month since his interview and he and Douglas had instated a sort of tradition. On every flight, the first officer would ask him if he’d heard from Swiss Air yet, and on every flight, Martin would lie through his teeth and pray that Douglas would just let it go. Of course he understood why Douglas wanted to be kept informed, but that didn’t help him make his decision.

 

Especially not when each time, he felt more and more tempted to tell him the truth.

 

“Have you taken the job yet?”

 

Martin jumped up so suddenly he almost fell out his seat, his hands temporarily leaving the controls.

 

“What?” he nearly squeaked.

 

“I was just wondering if you had accepted Swiss Air’s offer yet.”

 

“What? I mean, what? How did you… what?”

 

“I see success hasn’t made you lose your way with words.”

 

“It’s not funny, Douglas!”

 

“You’re right, it isn’t,” Douglas said. “I asked you a serious question, to which I would like a serious answer.”

 

Martin wriggled in his seat, trying to focus on the dashboard but feeling himself very tempted to simply release it just so he could look at Douglas’ face. He bit his lip.

 

“I suppose Arthur told you,” he finally said.

 

He was trying to buy himself some time and was sure that Douglas knew it too. But there was no harm in giving it a shot.

 

“Quite unintentionally, I assure you.”

 

“I’m sure he didn’t mean to,” Martin added.

 

Silence fell over the flight deck for a second, a few moments during which Douglas felt himself getting a little twitchy. He cleared his throat.

 

“Martin?”

 

“I know, and… no.” He whispered. “No, I haven’t.”

 

“All right,” Douglas said, his voice always calm and measured. “May I ask why not? Or if I’m to be quite blunt with you: why in the hell not?”

 

Martin let out a sigh, his shoulders dropping in defeat.

 

“I don’t know, well, I do know but… Well, it’s not an easy decision, is it?”

 

“ _Au contraire_ , I find it’s an incredibly easy one, Martin.”

 

“I guess you wouldn’t have a problem making a choice like this, of course _you_ wouldn’t.”

 

Douglas remained silent until Martin felt bad. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that, it’s just… I’ve been under a lot of pressure.”

 

“I understand.”

 

“I know you do.”

 

Douglas cleared his throat and released the controls, swiveling in his seat to get a proper look at his captain. He appeared even more tired than usual, his cheeks nearly hollowed, bags under his eyes. Douglas felt a ping of regret as he thought about what he was about to do. Douglas had never truly cared about doing the right thing; he had always thought it was more of an excuse than anything. Something shy people used when they were too afraid to go for what they wanted. He had never understood it until now. But then, maybe he was just doing what any shy person would.

 

“Martin, if I may give my opinion, at least one last time?”

 

“I’m listening,” Martin said, keeping his eyes ahead – which was probably safer as Douglas wasn’t exactly ready to drive right now.

 

“You should take the job. I’m not sure I even understand why you haven’t yet.”

 

Martin blinked, the only thing hinting at the fact that he’d even heard what Douglas had said. He took a deep breath before casting a glance at his first officer.

 

“Do you really think so?”

 

“Of course I do, Martin. I’m nothing if not honest.”

 

Martin snorted at that and Douglas couldn’t contain a small smile. He had missed the sound of Martin laughing, even if it was only for a second. Not that he would ever say so out loud.

 

“I wish you hadn’t said that,” Martin whispered after a while.

 

“What?”

 

“I wish you’d told me to stay. It would have been easier.”

 

Douglas frowned, “I fear I’m not quite following you.”

 

“If you had told me to stay, I would have taken the job!” Martin explained, his voice growing a bit frantic. “But now that you’ve told me to go, I want to stay, do you see?”

 

“Er, yes?”

 

“IT’S PERFECTLY LOGICAL!” Martin erupted. “The fact that you want me to go makes me want to stay.”

 

“There’s irony somewhere in there.”

 

Martin let out a whine before going back to actually flying GERT-I. He felt even more confused somehow, and yet he knew he had already made his decision. He had told himself that he needed Douglas’ advice and now that he’d given it, Martin had no reason to delay something he had already set his mind on.

 

He just wished he didn’t have to, he wished he could be the irresponsible one just this once. He bit his lip as he felt tears welling up in his eyes. Whatever happened, he refused to cry about it. He was an adult and he’d made a decision. There was nothing sad about that.

 

“Douglas?” he whispered after a couple of minutes, his voice a bit hoarse. “I’m going to take the job.”

 

Douglas turned to the young man, a somewhat bitter smile on his lips. “That’s a wise decision, Captain.”

 

***

 

“Frankfurt!” Martin announced as he shut down GERT-I’s engines, putting an end to their game.

 

“Well done, Martin.”

 

Both men started doing the post landing checks as they did a marvelous job of ignoring the elephant in the room. Actually, the elephants: the fact that Martin was leaving tomorrow morning and that Douglas had obviously let him win.

 

“I think that means I won this round.”

 

“That, you did. Congratulations.”

 

Martin raised his chin for a second, giving Douglas a proper look for the first time that day.

 

“Thank you.”

 

Douglas only nodded before going back to his checks. He was especially slow today, but that could be for any number of reasons – first of which, the fact that he hadn’t actually done any post landing checks in years. Martin didn’t seem too impatient either and both men decided to ignore that too.

 

“Post, er, post landing checks complete,” Martin announced thirty seconds later before clearing his throat.

 

“Yes, I see that.”

 

Martin twisted his hands in his lap, desperately trying to find the right words but coming up empty. There were so many things he wanted to say but he couldn’t find a way to actually speak. He wanted to thank Douglas, to tell him that they really did have a great time together, that… that he would miss him even after all the teasing and the gloating.

 

Instead, he just said, “It’s a bit cold for June isn’t it?”

 

“I suppose it is.”

 

“There’s just a lot of wind.”

 

Douglas nodded in agreement but remained silent. Martin got back to staring out the window until the cabin door slammed open, Arthur literally bouncing in.

 

“Hey chaps! What are you doing?”

 

“Oh, nothing, Arthur. We were just chatting.”

 

Martin turned to Douglas, trying to figure out if that was a joke but the first officer’s expression was dead serious. He swallowed hard.

 

“What are you two still doing here?” Carolyn interrupted, bursting in after her son. “We all have to get up early tomorrow and you’re going to need a good night sleep.”

 

“Oh, must we?” Arthur whined.

 

“I’m afraid your mother is right, Arthur.”

 

“Thank you, Douglas. Martin, we’ll come and pick you up at seven. We take off at 8 o’clock sharp. Understood?”

 

The three of them nodded and Arthur was gone again, waving at the two pilots as Carolyn followed him out. Douglas cleared his throat before standing up and stretching his limbs.

 

“Do you need a ride, Martin?”

 

“No,” he whispered. “I’ll be fine. Thank you.”

 

“All right.”

 

And soon enough Douglas was gone too, leaving Martin alone with GERT-I and all the words that had gotten stuck at the back of his throat. He looked over his shoulder to make sure he was alone before giving the console a gentle stroke.

 

“I’ll miss you too,” he sighed.

 

***

 

It was weird. Martin had never been on the passenger side of a flight aboard GERT-I and if there was one thing he could say with absolute certainty, it was that he didn’t like it one bit. He kept getting up to go into the flight deck, only to suddenly realize that he wasn’t supposed to. He felt as if he was skipping school and it made him feel beyond uncomfortable. Adding to that the fact that Arthur was trying to cheer him up and he felt downright nauseous after ten minutes in the air.

 

“Are you all right, Skip? You haven’t said a word since we took off.”

 

“I’m fine, Arthur.”

 

“Are you sure? You aren’t nervous?”

 

“I’m fine,” he insisted.

 

“Wow, that’s awesome, Skip! I know I wouldn’t feel great if I were you. I mean, you know, the anticipation and everything.”

 

“Yes, that’s quite all right, Arthur,” Carolyn piped in from the other end of the plane – which, considering GERT-I’s size, wasn’t saying much. “That’ll be enough.”

 

“But mum-“

 

“Thank you, Carolyn, but it’s all right.”

 

She just shrugged before going back to her book. Arthur beamed at Martin and the captain immediately felt better. Well, a tiny bit at least. Only two hours to go and they’d be in Zurich. Two hours.

 

***

 

The four of them were quietly walking, heading towards the airport’s exit. The silence was heavy between them and Martin wanted nothing more than to break it, if only he had something to say. He couldn’t stop thinking, couldn’t stop considering the possibility that he’d made the wrong decision. He knew he was just being emotional, that joining Swiss Air was the logical thing to do. Thing was, he wasn’t so sure he wanted to be logical anymore.

 

He raised his chin and looked at each of them in turn. These people had offered him a job – minus the paycheck part – they had given him the opportunity to actually fly, to do what he’d always wanted to do. More than that, they’d offered him shelter when he was alone, had stood by him when even he thought he would never be good enough. They were willing to give up their own jobs just so Martin would have a shot at being a _real_ pilot.

 

Martin was a lot of things, but he had never thought of himself as a coward. But this was exactly what he was. Now that he had to make a change, to leave something familiar and comfortable, he could feel himself shaking with fear. He felt like a kid going on a school trip for the first time and so anxious at the thought of leaving his family behind that he was close to tears. And he’d promised himself he wouldn’t cry.

 

“I think we found them,” Carolyn said, pulling Martin out of his thoughts.

 

He abruptly looked up as Douglas snorted.

 

“The flag on the uniform is a tad too much in my opinion.”

 

“I was going to say.”

 

Martin blinked at the two Swiss Air employees waiting for him ten feet away. He was frozen to the spot and so he took a long breath, trying to calm down. He felt Arthur grabbing his arm and looked over his shoulder.

 

“I’m sure you’re going to be brilliant, Skip,” he said, his tone everything but cheerful for once.

 

Martin nodded even though he had never felt less sure of anything in his life. He turned around and pulled Arthur into his arms.

 

“Thank you,” he breathed out.

 

“I’ll call you tonight so you can tell me everything!”

 

Carolyn gravely nodded behind her son. “Do tell us when you’re properly settled in, Martin.”

 

Martin released Arthur then, solemnly shaking Carolyn’s hand before turning to Douglas. Douglas. The first officer was probably the one Martin was going to miss the most, the one he wanted the most to keep in touch with and the one he knew he would never see again. Arthur would call him and so he would know how Carolyn was doing. And he could always ask Hercules. But Douglas would never call him, he would never come to him for news and Martin… and it broke his heart.

 

He understood, of course he did. Douglas was just too proud and Martin would always fear he was being pushy, and he didn’t want to disturb. For him and Douglas, this was goodbye. Martin wanted to hug the hell out of him too, if only because he knew he would never get the chance again. But he was too much of a coward. He only extended his hand, biting into his lower lip when Douglas firmly took his hand.

 

“Captain,” he simply said.

 

Martin nodded, trying to retain some sort of dignity even though he knew his eyes were full of tears ready to be shed, his throat full of words he had never dared speak aloud. He swallowed hard.

 

“Thank you, for everything,” he finally choked out before grabbing his luggage.

 

He immediately turned around as a single tear came free, rolling down his cheek as he took the first step forward. He kept waiting for one of them to ask him to stay, and yet he knew that they wouldn’t. They wanted him to be happy, to have a proper life and Martin hated that. He almost wanted them to be selfish, to make this easier on him somehow. He was ready to break, to change his mind and just go back.

 

Instead, he took another step, and then another. His hand gripped the handle that much tighter as he finally started walking, hanging onto his luggage as if it were the only thing still keeping him going. And maybe it was.

 

Martin was halfway to his new colleagues and he stopped, looking over his shoulder as he wiped at his tear-stained cheeks. He saw Arthur catching his mother’s hand and let out a breath. He started walking again, feeling as if a little part of him had died. The childish dream he’d held onto for so long didn’t exist anymore. He was an adult, and he knew this was the responsible thing to do. But maybe that wasn’t such a good thing after all.

 

Douglas watched as Martin finally reached the two gentlemen from Swiss Air, something twisting in his guts. He didn’t want to see this, all he wanted to do was go home and have a nice glass of vodka, or probably a hundred. He hadn’t decided yet. Martin was already chatting with the two men and Douglas was more than ready to leave.

 

“Can we go?”

 

“I don’t want to,” Arthur whispered, his tone so flat that Douglas felt himself shiver.

 

“It’ll be all right, Arthur,” Carolyn said. “We’ll have a hot chocolate and just go home.”

 

“Do you think Skip would want to come with us?”

 

Douglas sighed, almost already turning back. “I don’t think Martin has the time.”

 

“Then why is he coming back?”

 

Carolyn and Douglas both turned towards Martin, watching him with wide eyes as he marched back in their direction. Douglas frowned, definitively not happy to realize that he had no idea what was going on.

 

“What are you doing, Martin?”

 

“Martin?” Carolyn asked.

 

“I’m…” Martin started, worrying his lower lip between his teeth. “I’m… I’m not going,” he whispered.

 

“What are you talking about?”

 

Martin looked up at Douglas’s face, rubbing a hand over his eyes as he sniffed. “I’m not going. I’m not.”

 

“Really?” Arthur immediately brightened up as his mother sent Martin a death glare.

 

“He is, Arthur. I’m sorry, but Martin is leaving, and there will be no discussion on the matter.”

 

“Actually,” Martin breathed out. “You’re right, there won’t be.”

 

The three of them turned wide eyes on him this time.

 

“This is my decision, Carolyn.”

 

“And it’s a stupid one, Martin,” Douglas snapped.

 

“I know, I _know_ it’s stupid and completely immature and definitively not a smart choice. But it’s _my_ choice. I don’t want to go and spend the rest of my life wondering if I’ve made the right decision.”

 

“Well, you don’t have to wonder. I’m telling you: you’re making the wrong choice right now.”

 

“I’m not,” Martin said. “I’m making a stupid decision, but it’s the right one. I’m sick and tired of everyone telling me what I need or don’t need to be a proper pilot, I _am_ a proper pilot. And that’s true whether I’m working with people I love or not. I wanted to prove to myself that I could do it, and now I know that I can and it’s enough. I don’t want to be left alone and I don’t want to leave you.”

 

Martin’s voice had started quivering and he was pretty sure he was crying again, but he couldn’t stop himself.

 

“I’d only make myself miserable and I’m… I’m _happy_ here. I never thought I’d find… I’d find people who could actually…”

 

Martin couldn’t speak through his tears anymore, but the three of them had understood anyway. Douglas bit his lip before dragging him into an embrace, gripping him so hard he nearly crushed his bones. Carolyn was looking everywhere but at Martin, and Arthur was positively beaming. He wrapped his arms around the both of them, joining the hug and making Martin chuckle through his tears. He hid his face against Douglas’ chest, smiling despite himself as if he were breathing for the first time in months.

 

Silly had never felt so good before.

 

The next few minutes were an embarrassing mess of tears – Martin’s – screams of joy – Arthur’s – and futile attempts at feigning composure – Carolyn and Douglas. But after a while, Carolyn brought herself together enough to say something which needed to be mentioned.

 

“Martin,” she carefully started. “I’m very glad you’ve decided to stay on but, I still can’t pay you anything. I hope you know that.”

 

Martin nodded, giving her a small smile. “I know, Carolyn,” he whispered. “It won’t be a problem.”

 

“How is it not going to be a problem?”

 

Martin thought about everything they had gone through together. He thought of the way he didn’t quite trust his own family but was willing to risk everything for this one. And maybe it was all it came down to: trust. For once in his life, Martin Crieff was going to trust that everything would be just fine.

 

“I’ll think of something clever, and everything will be all right.”

 

 

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> If you have read this far, I just hope you feel better by now. That was the whole point.  
> I'm not english-speaking, I'm French and my pseudo-beta was French too, hope it didn't bother you.


End file.
